[TfTi] 2024 Literary Holidays: An Indie Publisher’s Book Marketing Goldmine
Whether you’re marketing your book, or the business behind your book, or yourself, you’ve probably spent time trying to come up with a friendly and fun “excuse” for contacting your fans. If you’ve adopted any of our Taylor Swift Model of Book Marketing concepts, you might be looking for a day, week, or month to hold a special event for a book club reading your book or a blogger who’s offered to recommend it to their audience.
Those are just a couple of examples that explain why I look forward to receiving Sandra Beckwith’s annual Literary Calendar newsletter, providing the inspiration for this edition of “Tips from Tom’s inbox.” She’s collected a treasure trove of “holidays” for readers and writers and updated it again for 2024.
And I’ve done a little additional research to squeeze in a few more! (Links to the sources at the end.)
So without further ado, grab your 2024 planner and get ready to mark your own calendar with the ones most relevant to your marketing efforts:
January
National Braille Literacy Month
1 – Public Domain Day (see note below)
2 – National Science Fiction Day
3 – JRR Tolkien Day
7-13 – Universal Letter Writing Week
9 – Poetry at Work Day
9 – National Word Nerd Day
16 – Book Publishers Day
18 – Thesaurus Day
18 – Winnie the Pooh Day (A.A. Milne’s birthday)
23 – National Handwriting Day
24 – Library Shelfie Day
25 – Burns Supper (Robert Burns’s birthday)
27 – Family Literacy Day in Canada
27-February 4 – National Storytelling Week in the UK
29 – National Bible Sunday
Take special note of Public Domain Day, the alternate January 1 holiday, when we celebrate all the works that become available for use by all of us without copyright restrictions. The list this year includes the anticipated Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie, among many other familiar books, films, and music.
February
Library Lovers’ Month
African American Read-In Month
3 – Take Your Child to the Library Day
4-10 – Freelance Writers Appreciation Week
4-10 – Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
7 – World Read Aloud Day
9 – Read in the Bathtub Day
14 – International Book Giving Day
14 – Library Lover’s Day
18-24 – Freedom to Read Week in Canada
20 – Clean Out Your Bookcase Day
25-March 2 – Black Children’s Book Week
26 – Tell a Fairy Tale Day
March
National Reading Month
Small Press Month
National March Into Literacy Month
1 – International Hug a Librarian Day
1-7 – National Ghostwriters Week
2 – Read Across America Day
2 – Dr. Seuss Day
3-9 – Jewish Book Week
3-9 – Read an E-book Week
3-9 – Return Borrowed Books Week
4 – National Grammar Day
7 – World Book Day in the UK
8 – National Proofreading Day
14 – National Write Your Story Day
16 – Freedom of Information Day
17-23 – World Folktales and Fables Week
19 – International Read to Me Day
20 – World Storytelling Day
20 – Bibliomania Day
21 – World Poetry Day
30 – Pencil Day
April
D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Month
National Poetry Month
National Literature Month
School Library Month
1 – Reading is Funny Day
2 – International Children’s Book Day
2 – National Children’s Picture Book Day
4 – National School Librarian Day
7-13 – National Library Week
9 – National Library Workers Day
10 – National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day)
10 – National Encourage a Young Writer Day
11 – Take Action for Libraries Day
12 – Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day
13 – Scrabble Day
14 – National Donate a Book Day
14-20 – Canada Book Week
15 – Rubber Eraser Day
15 – World Art Day
16 – National Librarian Day
17 – International Haiku Poetry Day
18 – Celebrate Teen Literature Day
18 – Newspaper Columnists Day
19 – Poetry and the Creative Mind Day
21 – Thank You for Libraries Day
23 – Canada Book Day
23 – Talk Like Shakespeare Day
23 – World Book and Copyright Day
23 – World Book Night
24 – The Library of Congress established (1800)
27 – Independent Bookstore Day
27 – National Tell a Story Day
28 – Great Poetry Reading Day
28-May 4 – Canadian Children’s Book Week
29 – National Poem in Your Pocket Day
May
Get Caught Reading Month
National Share a Story Month
Latinos Book Month
1 – Mother Goose Day
2 – International Harry Potter Day (also July 31)
3 – World Press Freedom Day
4 – Free Comic Book Day
5 – National Cartoonists Day
9 – Make a Book Day
12 – Limerick Day
16 – National Biographer’s Day
22 – Sherlock Holmes Day
31 – Speak in Sentences Day
June
Audiobook Appreciation Month
Rainbow Book Month
10 – Ball Point Pen Day
16 – Bloomsday (celebration of Irish writer James Joyce’s life)
19 – National Garfield The Cat Day
23 – National Typewriter Day
July
National Anti-Boredom Month
Read an Almanac Month
4 – Alice in Wonderland Day
17 – World Emoji Day
30 – Paperback Book Day
31 – Harry Potter Day
August
Romance Awareness Month
2 – National Coloring Book Day
9 – Book Lover’s Day (also November 4)
14 – Love Your Bookshop Day
17-23 – Children’s Book Week in Australia
18 – National Bad Poetry Day
21 – National Poet’s Day
31 – We Love Memoirs Day
September
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month
Library Card Sign Up Month
National Literacy Month
Read a New Book Month (also December)
4 – Newspaper Carrier Day
6 – Read a Book Day
7 – Buy a Book Day
8 – International Literacy Day
8 – National Ampersand Day
13 – National Twilighters Day
18 – Read an E-book Day
22 – Hobbit Day
22 – Dear Diary Day
22-28 – Banned Books Week
24 – National Punctuation Day
25 – National Comic Book Day
29 – National Coffee Day in the U.S.
October
Children’s Magazine Month
Church Library Month
National Book Month
National Cookbook Month
Medical Librarian Month
National Reading Group Month
1 – International Coffee Day
3 – National Poetry Day in the UK
5 – Bookshop Day
6 – Mad Hatter Day
6-12 – National Newspaper Week
11 – Myth and Legends Day
13-19 – Teen Read Week
16 – Dictionary Day
20-26 – National Friends of Libraries Week
20 – National Day on Writing
27 – National Tell a Story Day in Scotland and the UK
November
National Family Literacy Month
National Life Writing Month
National Memoir Writing Month
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
Picture Book Month
1 – National Family Literacy Day in the U.S.
1 – National Author’s Day
6 – National Non-Fiction Day
7 – National Non-Fiction Day in the UK
10-16 – National Young Readers Week
12 – Young Readers Day
15 – I Love to Write Day
18 – High-Five a Librarian Day
24-30 – National Book Week
December
Read a New Book Month (also September)
7 – Letter Writing Day
10 – Dewey Decimal System Day
21 – Crossword Puzzle Day
21 – National Short Story Day
24 – Jolabokaflod, Iceland’s Yule Book Flood
I can’t end without noting that last one: Iceland’s beautiful tradition of giving books as gifts this time of year, the Yule Book Flood, Jolabokaflod. Here’s an explanation from the website of the same name:
“Every year since 1944, the Icelandic book trade has published a catalogue – called Bókatíðindi (‘Book Bulletin’, in English) – that is sent to every household in the country in mid-November during the Reykjavik Book Fair. People use the catalogue to order books to give friends and family for Christmas.
“During the festive season, gifts are opened on 24 December and, by tradition, everyone reads the books they have been given straight away …”
What could be more wonderful to give or receive than a book, with all the enchantment or information they provide? Don’t miss out! Jolabokaflod is upon us.
Here at Master Book Builders, I'm known as the "Book Artisan" -- the guy who takes over to help with your book design and publishing steps, after you and Yvonne finish writing, editing, and polishing your book manuscript. As a writer myself, I usually chime in with a suggestion here or there.
Since reading your book is inherent in my layout process, I bring that understanding of your message to your cover design, as well.
And then I help with many of the tech and "author business" tasks in the publishing and marketing phases, constantly learning as the industry evolves. I try to share some of that learning in my blog posts, too.
Deb's backstory of how she got started goes all the way back to when she was a toddler and loved performing for her mom and other family members. We all have those memories, don't we? It's good to share them on your website and in your blog because it can easily bring you closer to your core audience - people who will be touched by that story of you as a child, and will relate to it because they, too, have those memories.
Choice. It's part of every day occurences. We choose what time to get up. What to wear to work, or lounging about the house. We choose to celebrate the rain, or cry about it. Lisa DeAngelis, in this transforming book, ????????? ??? ???????, explores the concept of choice and change.
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